


Neon Rose

by TheFatDrunkDragon



Category: Cyberpunk & Cyberpunk 2020 (Roleplaying Games), Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game), RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Cyberpunk, Crossover, I was inspired a lot by artwork of the game and trailers, Plus a lot of Billy Idol and Judas Priest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:49:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26115214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFatDrunkDragon/pseuds/TheFatDrunkDragon
Summary: A Cyberpunk/RWBY crossover AUYang Xiao Long, A Nomad turned Solo, and her Techie Sister, Ruby Rose, must survived the cut throat world of Night City, From it's Criminal Underworld to its Corporate Overlords.
Comments: 13
Kudos: 14





	1. Family Matters Part 1

**Family Matter's Part 1  
  
2062**  
  
“God, it’s hot out here…”  
  
Twelve-year-old Yang Xhiao Long lowered the binoculars as she wiped the sweat from her brow. She had been sitting on the roof of the abandoned gas station for three hours, looking for any kind of activity in the road. So far, the only thing Yang had seen was just the tumbleweeds.  
  
“Focus, Yang.” Raven ordered, “If a truck passes us by, You’re not be getting dinner tonight.”  
  
“What are we even supposed to look for out here?” She asked her mother.  
  
“I told you, Yang.” Raven replied in an annoyed tone, “We’re looking for treasure on wheels! Corpo shipments, Gas Trucks-.  
  
“Food truck.”  
  
Raven scoffed at the suggestion.  
  
“We got food back at the compound.”  
  


Yang rolled her eyes in frustration, she was getting sick and tired of Rice Stew and Kibble. She looked again through the binoculars, nothing new to see aside from the ruins of highway signs and mountains. That was until she saw a black speck moving down the road.  
  
“WAIT, MOM! I got something!” Yang exclaimed  
  
Raven took her binoculars away as she desperately searched around for the desert  
  
“Where?”  
  
“It’s on the highway!”  
  
“No shit, genius. _WHERE_ on the highway?”  
  
“I can show if you just let me…” Yang said as she tried to help her mother see which direction, only for her to slap yang’s hand away.  
  
Raven zoomed the binoculars, the speck taking the form of an armored hauler as it made its way across the road. She smiled when she noticed the Militech Logo on side of the truck.  
  
“Bingo.”  
  
Raven bent over to the side, keeping the binoculars on her face on one right hand while digging through the duffle bag with the other. She took out the small remote detonator from the bag and stuck it out for Yang to take it.  
  
“Yang, get ready to flip the switch when I say it.” She said as she pointed Yang out to the road, the truck was now a little more noticeable without the use of the binoculars. She kept looking at it carefully, the heat making it difficult for her to focus.  
  
“Almost there…”  
  
The truck was now audible, moving past the ruined mess and almost getting close enough to be seen from the gas station.  
  
“NOW!”  
  
_click_  
  
The explosives went off underneath truck. The drivers began to lose control as they zig-zagged into the desert before crashing into a highway sign. Raven shouted victoriousy as she tuned to her daughter.  
  
“Let’s go! We got a bounty to plunder!” Raven exclaimed as she ran for the van waiting for them below.  
  


* * *

  
  
The van quickly arrived to the crashed truck.  
  
Raven and Yang got out as they walk past the shattered truck, ignoring the possibly dead drivers inside as their focus was only directed to its cargo. The door to the truck’s cargo was closed up but Yang noticed a lever to her left, to which she pulled it down. Both stood back as the door slid open, dropping down a ramp as the inside of the truck lit up.  
  
“Go check it out.” Raven ordered.  
  
Yang walked inside, the blistering heat of the Badlands clashing with the cool breeze within the cargo truck. There was a well collected row of black cases and lockers. She randomly checked one of the cases, opening it up to reveal what seemed to be a rifle grip with it’s accessories on the inside. An annoyed sigh escaped from yang’s lips.  
  
“Anything good?”  
  
“It’s just guns, mom...” She said outloud.  
  
Yang inspected the rifle carefully as if she had discovered an alien artifact. She pulled it out of the boxed and inspecting it a bit further. Yang kinda found it funny how the rifle looked like some kinda big toy gun, even if it was missing it's accessories. As she pulled out the other parts to examine them, she heard the door slide open and a voice scream out:  
  
“GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF THAT!”  
  
Yang turned around just in time to see the truck driver elbow her in the face, knocking her backwards into the floor. Yang crawled back as he pulled out a tonfa.  
  
“MOM! I NEED SOME HELP!” She called out  
  
There was no answer.  
  
The man was about to swing it down on her but she kicked him in the stomach, giving her time to get up and put up a fighting stance.  
  
He swung the baton again.  
  
Yang jumped back, taking the opportunity to land two good punches to the face. The man grabbed Yang tightly, pushing her so hard that she practically ended up tumbling out of the truck.  
  
“MOM!”  
  
Still no answer. Yang looked around and noticed her mother was standing on the other side of the truck, not even paying attention.  
  
The driver stepped out into the desert. He pushed a button on his baton, causing it to emit a audible hum as he went up to Yang. She dodged the first swing before receiving a punch in the jaw. This left the poor girl exposed to a jabbing from the baton, electrifying her until she had dropped down to the ground.  
  
Her body felt tense, twitching from the lingering effects of the baton. She could see her mother looking at the boxes and fiddling with the shotgun she found from one of the crates. This was followed by a kick to the stomach, and then another kick, and another. The driver was really letting the poor girl have it, with each kick feeling more impactful.  
  
Yang was already feeling defeated as she tried to crawl away towards the desert. He instead flipped her over, making sure he got a good look at her before he pulled a sleek black handgun from his holster, pulling the slide back as he aimed it down at her head. This was it, Yang closed her eyes. Expecting the inevitable.  
  
_SHLIK_  
  
Yang opened her eyes to see a sword’s tip protruding from his chest. The man dropped the gun, his expression changed from anger to shock as the sword digging deeper into him. He let out one last gasp before the sword retreated, his body dropping into the ground next to Yang. She got up to see Raven shaking off the blood from the sword, sheathing it back before walking away.  
  
“Mom, What the hell?!” Yang exclaimed, “Where the hell did you go?”  
  
Raven ignored her as she got close to the cargo entrance.  
  
“Did you even hear me call out to you.”  
  
“Yeah, I did. I expected better from you, Yang.”  
  
“I COULD’VE DIED!”  
  
“And yet you’re still alive, So what do you have to complain about?”  
  
Yang stared down at her mother, her heart racing as she balled her hand into a fist. Her mother shrugged her off and continued to the trucks cargo hold.  
  
“Now quit your crying and help me get this stuff in the van.” She ordered before stepping inside of the truck  
  


* * *

  
  
The van had arrived to the compound, the Branwen Shiv’s sanctuary that looks over the entirety of the wasteland. Yang looked out to the streets, focusing on the adults that hung out infront of their homes and talked to one another about whatever they talked about while kids playing out in the street. It all felt like a scrapyard parody of a normal community, with nice trees and small bits of greenery replaced with sand and trash.  
  
As the van stopped infront of the Quartermasters Building, Raven turned to her daughter and said “You know Yang, I have worked hard to keep all of this, our freedom and our people, free from the corporate stranglehold. Maybe you won’t see that since your a stubborn little-“  
  
Yang took off her seatbelt and opened the door.  
  
“Hey, Where are you going?” Raven asked  
  
Yang ignored her mother as she slammed the van door and walked away.  
  
“HEY!” Raven exclaimed, “Don’t you walk away from me!”  
  
She continued to ignore Raven as she vanished into the compound. Raven groaned in frustration, rubbing her forehead as her brother walked out of the Quartermaster building to check on his sister.  
  
“You allright?” Qrow asked  
  
“That kid’s gonna be the death of me.” Raven mutters to herself.  
  
“What happened?”  
  
Raven shrugged him off as she opened the van up, showing a large collection of dark cases on the back.  
  
“Mind giving me a hand with that?” She asks as she grabbed one of the boxes.  
  
“Raven, What happened out there?” He asked again.  
  
“We raided a corpo truck and Yang got attacked by the driver.” She explains nonchalantly.  
  
“What?! Is she allright?!”  
  
“How should I know? She ran away.”  
  
Raven proceeded to walk to the quartermaster building. Qrow shook his head and walked away from the van to look for his daughter.  
  


* * *

  
  
Yang sat alone on her room, still frustrated over her mother’s actions. She always goes out with Raven on these raids and whenever she needed help the most, Raven just disregards her and does her own little thing, as if she was a useful distraction. She may have been her mother but Yang  
  
Just when she had finished punching her pillow, the door to her room opens. She sits back down and looks outside her window, getting an entire view of the Badlands and the city at the distance.  
  
“You okay, Kid?” her Uncle Qrow asked.  
  
Yang stayed quiet.  
  
He let himself in, getting a good look at some of the bruises. He sat down near her bed, giving the company she n  
  
“I heard you got into some trouble today… Wanna talk about it?”  
  
She remained quiet. He patted her on the shoulder, waiting for her  
  
“She hates me, Uncle Qrow.” Yang whispers  
  
“No, Hun. She doesn’t…” Qrow said, “Your mother has a… “distinct” way of motivating people.”  
  
“Motivating?!” Yang exclaimed, turning to her uncle in frustration “I know how to survive out there Uncle Qrow but I don’t WANT a motivation! I want a mom! I want someone who worries about me when I’m about to do something, to take an interest in my life and to tell me that they love me!”  
  
She puts her hands to her face, silently groaning to herself.  
  
“I wish Dad were still alive…” she mutters.  
  
“What if I told you… that I can take you to him?”  
  
Yang turned to her uncle, clearly confused by the offer.  
  
“W-What?” she blurted out  
  
“Your Dad… Would you like to see him?”  
  
“You mean like… his grave or… a picture you have of him?”  
  
“No, hun. I mean Alive. In the flesh”  
  
That’s when her eyes widened, she covered her mouth to hold back the gasp. She couldn’t believe it  
  
“WHAT!” she exclaimed, “He’s ALIVE?! B-but Mom said he died!”  
  
“Well… Your mom says a lot of things that when she’s angry.”  
  
Yang got up, so many questions running through her head but the one she chose was:  
  
“Then where is he?”  
  
Qrow turned around and pointed out to the futuristic city up in the distance.  
  
“Holy shit!” Yang exclaims  
  
“The offer still stands… Do you wanna meet him?” He asked once more.  
  
Yang didn’t even needed to think about the answer.  
  
“YEAH!”  
  
“Meet at the garage at in a few minutes.”  
  


* * *

  
  
A few hours later, Yang had arrived at Qrow’s Garage. He was sitting in the driver’s seat, fiddling around with some kind of radio. She took the opportunity to put the duffle bag into the trunk, causing Him to jump from his seat and turn to the source.  
  
“Jesus, Kid! You scared me!” He exclaimed  
  
Yang apologized as he got out of the car and looked at what was put into the trunk.  
  
“Is that everything?” He asked as he put the bag on the other side.  
  
“Yeah!” She replies  
  
“If you need to go, do it now ‘cause once we’re on the road I’m not stopping for a bathroom break.”  
  
Just as soon as Yang left to the bathroom, Qrow closed the trunk of the car. He kept trying to convince himself that he was doing the right thing here, even if this might piss of Raven. Shit, should she even TELL her about this?   
  
“HEY QROW!”  
  
Speak of the devil. Raven steps into the garage, smiling at her brother before seeing him close to the car.  
  
“What’s going on?” She asked, “Where you going?”  
  
“Oh I’m just gonna take a quick drive around the road. Won’t be long.”  
  
“A quick drive? In the Badlands?” she says with a raised eyebrow.  
  
He nods to her.  
  
“You got a weird way of passing the time.”  
  
Qrow waved it off as he opened the car. That’s when Raven asked her the next question:  
  
“You’ve seen Yang?”  
  
Qrow looked to the bathroom before turning to his sister and saying “She’s probably just taking a walk.”  
  
Raven seemed irritated by that response. He was already beginning to wonder if she had already pieced together the truth or perhaps  
  
“Just don’t be late.” Raven replied as she turned around and walked out of the garage.  
  
Yang stepped out of the bathroom, the sound of a flushing toilet echoing through the garage. She wiped her hands clean as she walked up to her uncle’s car.  
  
“Okay, Uncle Qrow. I’m ready!” She said as she jumped into the passengers seat. Qrow turned on the car, driving out of the garage before leaving the compound behind.  
  
******  
  
Raven was midly frustrated.  
  
She had been spending the entire day looking for her brat of a daughter throughout the compound and yet, like a fart in the wind, she just disappeared. No one else had seen the blond haired girl around or out of the place.  
  
Raven decided to recheck Yang’s room, her patience wearing thin. As she walked into her home, she started to question just _why_ did she even Keep yang around in the first place?  
  
She never really liked her daughter, she was only kept around, not just to spite Taiyang for leaving her but to also take full advantage of having a useful lacky around, one that could take an ass kicking while she deals with smaller issues. Granted, this has led to some heated arguments here and there and Yang often threatens her with leaving the compound but they were always bluffs. After all, it was her Shivs that kept her alive.  
  
Although today, It was different. She complained again but now she’s just avoiding Raven. It’s not even a big compound and yet Yang has done a good job of staying under her radar. This didn’t seem right, What if she had planned something out while Raven was looking for her.  
  
She opened the door, her eyes the clothe cabinet with all of its drawers pulled out. She quickly moved to the cabinet, noticing a lack of clothes within the cabinet. She searched around the closet and it told the same story, half of the clothes seem to be missing.  
  
Raven’s mild frustration turned to anger.

* * *

  
  
The drive to Night City was a quiet one.  
  
Yang and Qrow had not spoken a word since they left the compound and instead focused on the road towards the city. The red sky dimmed slightly as the sun had already sunk to the west, leaving the road in a darkness only illuminated by neon lights and headlights.  
  
“Hey, Uncle Qrow? What’s my Dad like?”  
  
“Well… He’s relaxed… pleasant… and Obnoxiously goofy.” He replied  
  
“Really?”  
  
Qrow nods  
  
“Like I kid you not, when he first proposed to your mom, He found this little dog out in the wild. He thought maybe your Mom would like a dog delivering a ring for their marriage, so he spent like two weeks trying to train this thing to go after Raven. Then, on the day he was gonna propose to her, he lets the lil pup go and sends him after her. Instead, the dog decided to steal the box and then bury out there in the Badlands. They spent the entire night digging through the desert until she found it! That’s when she said didn’t want pets”  
  
Both laughed it off.  
  
“So… Where does my Dad live?”  
  
“Well… The last I heard of him, He’s been living in Heywood, in a megablock called Peach Tree.”  
  
“Megablock?”  
  
“It’s a big building where everyone lives there. Kinda like a buncha houses stacked into a tower.”  
  
“Whoa… That sounds awesome!”  
  
“Heh… Just wait till you see the rest of the city.”  
  
“Hey Qrow?” Yang asks, “If… You knew Dad was alive… Why didn’t you take me to him?”  
  
He struggled with that answer. He had enabled this abuse for 12 years and yet has always been there to comfort his niece, it seemed greatly hypocritical that he now wants to help after all these years. He sighed to himself before explaining  
  
“I’ve always considered bring you to him for a long time. I guess I thought that as long as you weren’t _REALLY_ in pain, I wouldn’t have to worry because you were still there. But then I see those bruises and you just tell me all that and suddenly I think “I did this. I sat on it for too long and now she’s miserable.” And I realized that I couldn’t keep doing it. I could not keep allowing your mother to do this, so I thought I saw a chance now to do it.”  
  
There was moment of silence between the two. Yang having to digest all that while Qrow continued to drive up the road. As they drove ahead, they could see the city lights a bit more clearly.  
  
“Does Dad know about me?”  
  
“You kidding me? He wanted you come with him!”  
  
“Then what stopped him?”  
  
“Well first of all, Your mom would’ve had her gang blast him to bits if even got close to the compound. Secondly…”  
  
Up on the road, both could see the large wall that divided the Badlands from Night City as it stretched far and wide on all sides. There was a line of cars up ahead, with people waiting to be approved to go into the city.  
  
“Not a lot of people get out of the city.” He finished  
  
“But you go to the city, right?” she asked  
  
“I got connections.”  
  
He diverged from the path, driving deeper into the desert. Yang could only look in astonishment of the wall while Qrow had to look around for the “border patrol” entrance. It wasn’t that far off, he just needed to go meet with the guy there  
  
He quickly spotted it, the booths light shining brightly and the doors were open. However, when Qrow got there, he stopped the car dead in its track, his eyes widen in shock.  
  
The window inside the “border patrol” booth was a trashed down mess. The guard’s corpse had hit the window, blood seeping down from his neck. While both gates were dropped down to reveal the neon metropolis just up ahead, a familiar makeshift motorbike and a very pissed off sister were blocking the way into the city.  
  
“OH SHIT!” Yang exclaimed  
  
Raven stepped away from the motorcycle, gesturing the two to step out of the car. Qrow put his hands on the back of Yang’s seat before looking back and pulling out some sort of sharp, folded stick.  
  
“Yang… Wait for me in the car.” Qrow said, as he opened the car door “If something happens… You run.”  
  
Yang watched from the car as her Uncle stepped out of the vehicle and walked up to Raven.  
  


* * *

  
  
“Raven? What are you doing here?” Qrow asked  
  
“Spare me your crap, Qrow.” Raven sneered, “Give her back.”  
  
“I’m not gonna do that, Raven.”  
  
Raven unsheathed the sword, still stain with the blood of the border guards, before putting herself into position.  
  
“Give. Her. Back, _QROW_.”  
  
Qrow clicked a button, the stick unfolding into a long sword. They stood a good distance from each other, waiting for one or the other to strike.  
  
“Don’t make me do this.” He said to his sister,  
  
Raven went first, running head first to try and strike Qrow. He swung it, the metal clashing with hers before he tried to swing it around to scare her off. Just as she tried to drop the sword down on him, used his sword to redirect’s hers before elbowing Raven. She swung back near his face, the blade leaving a small cut near the left eye.  
  
“If she’s so special, then why don’t you let her decide if she wanted to stay or not.”  
  
“Because She’s MINE!” Raven screamed.  
  
Raven kept her distance, only ligtly swinging his sword at his to find a perfect opportunity to strike. She lifted her sword up, Qrow raised the sword to block it. She stops just in time to divert her attack towards his hand, leaving a nasty cut on his left hand.  
  
Yang couldn’t take much more of this fighting. She stepped out of the car and tried to get close, watching as Qrow desperately tried to swing the sword her sisters way while missing most of his attacks.  
  
“STOP!” Yang exclaimed, “PLEASE, STOP!”  
  
Qrow turned to see his niece out of the car, his momentary distraction was met with a deep sharp pain to his chest.  
  
“UNCLE QROW!” Yang screamed out as Qrow gripped his injury tight.  
  
It was that same screaming that snapped Raven out of her anger as she saw what her rage has brought her. Her daughter ran to him, looking down at the stab wound.  
  
“Stay with me, Uncle Qrow!” She begged as she tried to put pressure on the wound.  
  
Qrow grabbed his niece, pulling her closer to his face while fighting back the pain.  
  
“S-Sixth F-floor, T-two Oh f-f-four.” He whispered to her.  
  
“W-what?”  
  
“J-just… go.”  
  
Qrow closed his eyes, his body went limp. Tears went down  
  
Raven stood there in absolute shock. Her daughter was crying into the body of her uncle, the closest thing Yang ever seemed to have to a loving parent. She got closer, still trying to come to terms with the fact she was the one who did it. Her daughter looked up, her sadness turned to disgust.  
  
“YOU KILLED UNCLE QROW!” Yang screamed at her.  
  
“This… This was your fault!” Raven exclaimed, “YOU MADE ME DO THIS!”  
  
“No Mom, You did this!” Yang exclaimed. “I HATE YOU!”  
  
“SHUT UP!” Raven screamed back as she grabbed the sword from the ground.  
  
Raven moved towards her daughter, sword at the ready. Yang ran for it, avoiding a swing from the katana as she made her way through the tunnel. Raven wasn’t far behind as she followed along. Yang saw a door to her left. She ran to it, expecting to atleast escape into the wall but upon her attempt at opening it, it proved to be closed.  
  
Her mother swung her blade near the door, scratching at the metal. Yang abandoned the door and simply decided to make it to the other side of the tunnel.  
  
As Yang ran out, the echoing sounds of the tunnel was now replaced with the sound of crickets and a generator running. She looked back to see a bunch of sleek trucks parked behind a chain linked fence. Immediately she heard the amplified sound of a motorcycle coming from the tunnel behind her.  
  
Yang turned around just in time to see raven driving out of the tunnel. The sound got closer and closer, so much so that she almost thought Raven was right on top of her. She tripped, landing face first into the ground just as the motorcycle passed her by.   
  
Looking up, Yang saw the motorcycle had stopped in the distance, the motor revving up a good distance with the headlight flashing towards her. She needed to defend herself from her mother but with what?  
  
She noticed a big rock was sticking out of the rock right next to her. She had an idea.  
  
Grabbing the rock, Yang got up as the motorcycled revved up and started speeding towards her. Yang stood her ground, waiting for her mother to get closer as she prepared the rock. Raven, raised her sword up high as she got closer. Her daughter refused to move, staying perfectly still as the lights was shinning right on her. That’s when Yang saw the opportunity and threw it at her mother.  
  
The rock hit Raven in the eye, causing her to lose control the bike as both tumbled over into the dusty road. Yang jumped out of the way just before they stopped sliding. She looked over at the strewn motorcycle and body on the road ahead. She did not know whether her “mother” was dead or was just unconscious. A part of Yang told her to pick up that rock and finish her off for Uncle Qrow but another one told her to keep running and don’t stop until she gets to the city. What would she even do?  
  
A distant alarm coming from the wall snapped her out of it. The other half won as she turned away from the wreck and continued to run into the night, guided by neon lights in the distance and she did not stop until she reached it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy, I'm not too good with notes so I'll try to keep this brief.
> 
> This is my first fanfic and it's kinda obvious with how rocky of a start it was. I do hope to improve my writting for future chapters. I was inspired by fanart of RWBY Cyberpunk AUs that I was thinking i'd take a crack at something like this. I do hope you enjoy reading it and stay tune for Family Matters Part 2


	2. Family Matters Part 2

Yang woke up to the sound of unfamiliar voices.

She groggily opened her eyes as she found herself inside of a messy metal living room, sleeping in a banged-up sofa. Slowly getting up, she ignored the screen showing a news footage of a protest on the street. She didn’t bother looking at the tv, turning her attention to the door that led to a kitchen where a fried scent snuck through the air. While it did smell really good, it still didn't answer her question: Where the hell was she and who brought her hear?

Looking around, she noticed a nomad's revolver laying on the table. As she takes its, she notices the picture of a man embracing his wife and daughter in a portrait of a happy family, something that Yang herself lacked in her life.  
  
Someone walked out of the kitchen, leading to Yang pointing the gun at the source. It was the same man on the picture, except he looked more like a sleep deprived trucker with a mechanical hand.

He stopped in his tracks. Eyes widened, he raised his hands up high to show he wasn't armed.

"Easy..." He exclaimed.  
  
“Where am I?! What’s going on here!”  
  
“Uuhhh… You’re in Santo Domingo. It’s a District of Night City. As for whats going on…” He carefully tried to explain

Yang stepped back as she saw the door leading outside.

"Wait kid, hold on! Let's talk this through for a minute!"

She ignored him, as she opened the door and made her escape.

The world outside of the trucker's place was a dreary one.

The trucker's house, a large concrete square, was one of many concrete squares in the streets, especially the words "PETROCHEM" etched into its walls. Looking out to the streets, she could see neon signs flashing above the neighborhood along with wires and cables that ran alongside each house. It almost felt familiar to Yang, it was like being back at the shiv's compound but it was expanded upon and had more neon ads instead of rusted radio towers.

As she traversed, the houses became less like blocks and resembled actual houses with paint added on to them, although it had more dead grass and dried up trees. As she descended forward into the streets, she felt her stomach grumble.  
  
' _Waking up without something to eat tends to have that effect on you'_ She thought as she looked around, the smell of something good cooking pointing her to one of the houses, where its resident had been cooking something on the grill. As she got closer towards the fend, her ears caught the faint hum of electricity coursing through the fence, stopping her from making a very fatal mistake.

Getting a bit further out of the neighborhood, Yang spotted what seemed to be a convenience store. Maybe this was a place she could go for some food. _'I mean, it's just a snatch and grab. Just like any other time with... mom.'_ she thought as she approached the store.

The inside of the store looked like a mess. Inventory windows were broken and chip bags layed on the floor. All of these were signs that Yang should just turn around and run but she couldn't just leave on an empty stomach. As she grabbed one of the bags, she heard the muffled shouting of people in this other room.  
  
This was followed by the sound of Gunfire.  
  
She jumped back, dropping she chips into the ground and exiting the store as she hid behind a car painted in the American flag. She peaked out from behind the car, her curiosity getting the better of her.

A skinny man threw himself out the door of the convenience store, his urban military outfit stained with blood. Yang couldn't tell if he was either injured or it was someone else's blood from a distance but it didn’t matter. As he tried to crawl away, she saw two figures moving towards him.

“HELP! SOMEBODY!" The man screamed out into the streets. "HELP ME! HELP-"

_STI-CHK_

His attacker, a pale “man” with enough metal in him to make him a cyborg, buried his blades deep into his back, causing the man to scream out in pain as his assailant kept stabbing him again and again. He was joined by another cyborg wielding an assault rifle.  
  
“Dammit! I almost had him!” The gun toting cyborg exclaimed while his friend retracted the blades from the body.

"Looks like that Second Amendment bullshit couldn't save you from that, HUH?!" The wrist blade cyborg said mockingly as he kicked the corpse.

As Yang kept watching from the safety of the car, the gun toting cyborg looked in her direction. She slid back behind the car, hoping maybe she was quick enough to not be seen but her instincts ordered her to pull out the revolver.

That's when the car started to rock.

"Hey there, little mouse." a deep, modulated voice spoke above her.

He was on top of the car, his four "Eyes" staring down at her. Yang screamed out in horror crawling back just as the cyborg landed infront of her, blades at the unfolding from his wrist.

Yang raised the revolver at them, struggling with its weight.

"GET BACK!" She screamed out, expecting them to be intimidated by a 12-year-old with a gun.

The cyborg chuckled at the attempt

"That's a nice piece..." The cyborg sneered as he got closer to her. "Didn't mommy ever told you not to play with-"

**_PRUMPH!_ **

The revolver nearly flew out of Yang's hands as the bullet only hit the shoulder, sparks flew and white fluid spewed out instead of blood.

"GAH! YOU BITCH!" He screamed out as he readied his mantis blades.

Yang pulled the trigger on the revolver, only to be met with the clicking of an empty chamber.

_OH CRAP_

The man was almost upon her as he prepared to slam his blades at her. Yang rolled to her left, tossing the gun at him in a vain attempt at distraction before getting up and making a run for it. The sound of an assault rifle filled the air as bullets whizzed by her, each one only hitting a neighbor’s lawn or the concrete street.

"STOP SHOOTING! SHE'S MINE" He shouted out to his companion, which was followed by a maniacal laugh as he chased her down the streets.

Keeping her distance from the murderous cyborg, she ran into the alleyway between houses. She chose to hide behind the trash bin, hopefully he would take the bait and think she kept running. While hiding behind the trash, she noticed a handle sticking out from the bin like a trashy Excalibur. She pulls it out, revealing a dented metal baseball bat. Not exactly a perfect weapon but in times like this, she’ll take it.

"Think I didn't see you there, brat?" The cyborg called out as he walked into the alley, scrapping his arm blades to the ground in his attempts to be intimidating. Just when he was within range of Yang, she made her move by swinging it at his face and hitting the jaw.

"MOTHER OF FUCK!" He screamed out as Yang went in for another swing, causing the cyborg to move back and adjust to her attacks. He swung his blades at her, the baseball bat took the brunt of it with sparks flying. She went for another swing to the face, his optics cracking and fizzling out as she went for a heavier strike. Using all of her strength, She gave one hard swing. This left her exposed, allowing for the cyborg to jab her with his blades, landing a hit near her sides.  
  
Yang screamed in pain as the blades retracted away, blood seeping into her shirt.  
  
"Did that hurt? Let me take the pain away!" The cyborg sneered as he prepared for another swinging volley.

Yang stepped up her game as she dodged the borg's slicing and dicing, gonking him in the other eye with the grip of the bat before swinging at his left blade, causing it to break apart before she was pushed off. Even with his attempts to push her off, she didn't stop as she proceeded to wear his defenses down with each successive swing. As the cyborg grew weaker and injured, Yang delivered one more swing taking a large chunk of cyberware out of his face. The cyborg fell back, convulsing in pain as sparks continue to shoot out from his broken face. She didn’t stop there as she kept swinging the bat over and over again, making sure he wouldn't get back up. After the bat got bented, she tossed it aside and loomed victorious over her assailant.  
  
But alas her victory was short lived.

"Zed!"

She turn around, spotting the cyborg's companion at the alleyway entrance, rifle still in its hand.

"Oh you're so DEAD _, BRAT!"_ He screamed out as he cocked back the rifle.

Yang instinctively jumped into the trash, hoping it would provide some modicum of cover from the barrage.

_PROOMF_

The blast echoed all across the neighborhood. Peaking out from the trash, Yang could see the trucker walking in from the left, his strange looking shotgun crackling with electricity as smoke escaped from the barrel. She could only watch as he aimed the shotgun carefully before unleashing another thunderous blast at the streets.

"Holy crap…" Yang muttered

The trucker lowered the shotgun, unloading the two spent shells. She approached the him, hoping not to startle him as he reloaded. That's when he spotted her.

"You allright?" The trucker asked as he finished reloading.  
“Y-yeah…” Yang nodded, “Thank you?”  
  
"Yer welcomed."

There was a silence between the two, that was only filled with the sound of distant factory works and AVs floating above the neighborhood.

"Wanna talk this over breakfast?"  
  


* * *

After a quick medical man had put the plate of eggs and synthetic bacon on the bowl, while the news kept talking about unimportant matters. The food looked so tasty enough that Yang wasted no time shoveling the eggs and bacon into her mouth.

"Take it easy, you'll choke on that bacon if you scarf it down like that!" He warned her

She didn't pay too much attention to the request, this was the best damn thing she's had since… hell she can't remember when she ever had food this good. It was always just kibble or just scraps.

"So… judging by where I found you, I take it you're not from around here?" he asked as he ate his eggs.

Yang nodded as she swallowed the bacon.  
  
"Nomad?" He added.  
  
Yang didn't hesitate to nod.

"And what brings you to night city, miss…"

"Yang." She answered. "I'm here to see my father. His name is Taiyang."

"Never met him, what's he like?" he asked as he scratched his beard.

"My uncle says he kinda looks like me… only, like a guy." She said while gesturing to her face.

The trucker chuckled, it was a funny way to describe what ones father would look like.

"Well… My uncle said he was living in a Megabuilding in place called Heywood or Peach Tree" She added

"Hmm. Peach Tree's a megabuilding, Heywood's the district."

"Oh."

The man finished his plate, Picking up both his and her plate.

"Well... I’ll take you there soon, Lets just wait for the food to settle down and then we will be on our way. Sound good?  
  
Yang nodded as the man got ready to clean the plates.

"Hey, mister?"

The man turned to Yang.

"What's your name?" She asked him

"Name's Paulie."

* * *

  
Paulie drove down the neighborhood, passing by the grocery store as the police had finally arrived too late to close off the area with holographic signs and a virtual replay of the events that had unfolded. As they went through the construction site of a slum, Paulie asked the following.

"You know… I never asked this back at home but how did you get into the city?"

“Uncle Qrow said he knew a way around the wall. He was supposed to take me there but then my mom showed up.”  
  
"What did she do?" He asked  
  
“… Mom killed him.” She answered in a bitter tone  
  
Paulie looked back at Yang, seeming genuinely sour about it.  
  
“Im so sorry for your loss, Kid…”  
  
Yang could simply sigh as they continued on their way through Santo Domingo.  
  
Exiting the industrial area, Yang got a closer look at Night City itself. Large, technically impressive buildings rose high above the sky, holographic ads and images playing constantly even when the sun is highest at the sky. She could see the AV’s flying to and out of the city like giant mechanical bees in a neon infused beehive.

Just as they were about to enter the district, both saw a blockade form on the bridge. Bipedal machines watched over junky looking police cars. Paulie cursed under his breath as he pulled to a stop. One of the Police officers walked away from his patrol car walked towards the truck  
  
“I got an idea, but you need to follow my lead.” Paulie instructed just when he lowered the window and faced the police officer, “Evening, sir!.”

"We're on Lockdown due to the riots. Suggest you turn around and get back home." The police officer said

"Oh but Please, I need to get to Wellsprings. It’s my last day with my daughter and I’m trying to get her to my wife.” Paulie tried to explain

"I'm Sorry, try again when the riots quiet down."  
  
“But I can’t!” Paulie exclaimed, "Because..."  
  
“Because Mom is a Psycho!" Yang exclaimed  
  
The police officer looked at Yang before turning to Paulie, nervously trying to laugh off the comment.  
  
“Oh uhhh Not THAT Kind of psycho. She meant she's a corpo."  
  
"Is that right?" The police officer questioned, “And who is she working with?”  
  
"Militech!" Both answered, with Paulie restraining from looking bacl at Yang.  
  
The ruse almost seemed like it was falling apart with Paulie failing to follow up on Yang’s lies. Realizing that this would all fall apart, Yang had to act.  
  
"Please, sir… I don't want Mom to make Dad disappear.”  
  
The police officer said nothing, looking at the two before turning back to his companions.  
  
“What the hell was that?” He quietly yelled at her  
  
“I had to make it convincing!” She exclaimed back  
  
“Jesus Christ, Yang..." Paulie muttered as he rubbed his forehead.  
  
The police cars began to move aside, allowing access to the street. The officer came back to Yang and Paulie.  
  
"Sorry to hold you both back, Drive carefully out there." The police officer said to them.  
  
"Uuhh… Much ablidged." Paulie nodded as they entered the city.  
  
As they got further away from the police lines, Paulie turned to her.  
  
“That… was too damn close.” Paulie exclaimed, “How the hell do you even know about Militech? I thought you guys didn’t know anything about corporations.  
  
“Mom always said the corporations are a bunch of assholes.”  
  
He let out a dry laugh as they continued on the road.  
  
“You got no idea…”  
  


* * *

The drive to Peach Tree wasn’t a long one.

There weren't a lot of people on the streets, most of them were either protesting in the city center or just hidden within their homes. The megabuilding was located further west into the district, nearly overlooking the coast and the city. As the truck slowly arrived into Wellsprings, Yang looked on at the structure, the sun reflecting from the windows and the small patches of greenery at the entrance.

"Well... End of the Line." Paulie exclaimed, "I hope you have you and your Dad have a happier time together!"

Paulie turned to Yang, expecting to see a child super excited to reunite with her father. But instead, he just saw a young girl who seemed... indecisive.

"What's the matter?" He asked

"I... I don't know about this…" She replied

"About what?"

"What if my Dad doesn't really want anything to do with me?"

"You're Uncle said he wanted to have you back, right?"

"Yeah but… I'm not even sure if I want to this anymore. My uncle is dead, Mom wants to kill me… What if I go in there and I find out that he was just as bad as mom.”

Paulie sighed but he could see that concern in her eyes, something he was already familiar with. He cleared his throat and turned to her.

"Yang… If I had personally known you're father in anyway, I'd give you something real motivational but the fact of the matter is... I don't. But the fact that your uncle not only knew your father was alive but to risk his life to get you here… I’d like to think that maybe that’s enough to show that maybe this entire trip may have been worth it." He finished.  
  
That was the small boost she needed. It may not have been the perfect answer to her question but she now realized that to turn back now would be to make Qrow's Death be in vain. 

"Thanks Paulie." She said

"Not a problem, Kid." He replied back with a smile. "Now... Go ahead and say Hi to yer Dad."  
  
Yang opened the truck door, looking back at Paulie one last time before setting foot on the megabuilding.  
  


* * *

The Entrance to Peach Tree seemed very inviting. Unlike the drab dead factory, the entrances was paved with by nice looking Kiosk and vendors.  
  
All of this would’ve been promising if it weren’t for the fact that there was a body of a blond haired man lying on the floor of the halls, a grocery bag spilling all of its contents to the floor. While Yang was used to seeing death out in the badlands, there was something that seemed off about this body, almost as if it seemed familiar to her. She shook her head, heading towards the elevator.

' _Sixth floor._ '  
  
She pushed the elevator button as it took her up to the sixth floor.

As Yang exits elevators of the room, she felt intimidated looking up from the railings to the ceiling and seeing the rows of floors that stretched to the heavens. Not letting it distract her, she continued through the apartment, searching for the room.  
  
 _‘620’_  
  
She quickly found it. Standing at the door with the marked number She banged on the door, nervously waiting to meet her father at last.

It all seemed quiet on the other side of the door. In that time, She was wondering if maybe it was a good idea to come to Taiyang now. How would she know he would recognize him? She was about to turn around and live but before she could do that, the doors slid open and instead of her father, she was greeted by a young girl with red hair and silver eyes.

"Uuhh… Hi?" Yang greeted

"Hi!" The young girl exclaimed

 _‘what the hell?’_ Yang thought before asking  
  
"Is… Taiyang here?"

"That's my Dad's name!"

Yang took a double take on that reply.

"Y-your Dad's name?" she asked the girl.

The girl nodded.  
  
“How’d you know my Dad?”  
  
That was a difficult question to answer. I mean, it be easy to just say ‘I’m your Dad’s real daughter’ but there was something so innocent about this girl that… she felt better to spare her the truth until later.  
  
“My… Uncle was a friend and… I just… thought I could meet him because… he seemed like a nice person.” Yang replied, uncertain if these were even the right words she would use to answer the girl  
  
"He went out.” The girl replied before she moved aside to show the hallway of the apartment. "Do you wanna come inside?"

"S-sure…"  
  
Yang stepped inside, the door sliding behind her before Ruby lead her in.

"My name's Ruby Rose! What's yours?"

"Yang. "

The apartment seemed disorganized, moving boxes lie on the side with half of the place feeling like a cramped mess. Yang looked to the pictures on the wall, one of Taiyang hugging a red haired woman at the beach. She could tell who Ruby got her looks from.  
  
“That’s my mom, Summer!” Ruby exclaimed as she picked up the picture.  
  
“Oh, and where is she.”  
  
Ruby’s face went from friendly to sad in the moment Yang asked.  
  
“She… gone.”  
  
Yang wanted to pat Ruby, to emphasize with the feeling of losing someone. But all she could ever offer her was:  
  
“I’m sorry about that.”  
  
Ruby shook away the feeling. trying to maintain a friendly face for Yang. As she continued to drag her into the living room, a small tv hooked up to the wall.  
  
“Wanna watch TV? They got a Danger Cat marathon today!”

“Uhhh… Sure?”  
  
As Ruby led Yang to the sofa, she turned on the Television where a cutesy and stylish anime opening played. Ruby ran back to the sofa and gleefully continued to watch the show while Yang tried to process her next step.  
  
“Hey Ruby?” Yang said, interrupting Ruby of her precious Crime Fighting Show.  
  
“Hm?”  
  
“Where did your Dad go?”  
  
“He said he was going to the grocery store down the street. But he seems to be taking too long.”

And that is when it hit Yang.

 _The body at the hall below. The groceries on the floor…_  
  
She ran out of the apartment with Ruby calling out to her. Yang reached the rails of the apartment walkway, looking down and hyperventilating under the realization that this journey was all for nothing. Leaning against the railing, she dropped to her knees and covered her face.

"Hey, are you okay?" Ruby asked, looking concerned over her.  
  
“Im Fine!” Yang cried out as she gestured her away, her voice conveying the complete opposite.  
  
“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

She had no idea of the truth lying down on the halls in the main floor. Yang didn't wanted to be the one to tell her the truth.  
  
“I… I lost… I lost my Dad and Uncle today. And I thought coming her would make things better…” Yang explained, fighting back

The girl sat down next to Yang before giving her a hug.  
  
“Whenever Dad was sad, He said a hug always made things better.” Ruby said.  
  
Yang, reciprocated the hug with the tightest she could give.

"If you want, you could stay here with us. I'm sure Dad won't mind."

Yang looked back down the building before turning to Ruby. She followed along with this false hope, but only to make Ruby feel better.  
  
"I appreciate that… thank you"  
  
"You're welcome.” Ruby replied with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, let me be the first to say I am sorry for how this chapter came out.
> 
> To answer what took so long to publish the chapter, I'll just sum it up with: The semester of College was bad, CDP-R hurt my faith in the game and I was struggling to write this chapter as I had three distinct versions of it that I was not satisfied with. After I had played the game (on a Base PS4, no less) and read up on Cyberpunk Red, I had recovered a tiny bit of inspiration to come back to this.
> 
> I'd like to say that the worse is out of the way so now I can focus on the interesting stuff. Which may or may not take a while to work on since my semester will probably be just AS worse but I know what I am doing from here on out. 
> 
> I am sorry for the delays and I hope that this chapter had held you over until the third, The Night Life.


End file.
